Base Pin Binding With Roadmaster Nighthawk Tow Bar

Updated 05/14/2019 | Published 05/13/2019

Question:

We purchased the Nighthawk tow system last year and towed our 2018 Jeep Cherokee cross country last winter. While everything worked great for the most part but we were discouraged to find that we had to tap one of the base pins out ever single time we disconnected from the bar. It is typically on the passenger side but sometimes it happens on the driver side. We were always on level ground and straight away and the freedom latches always released so that wasn’t the issue. We are also level with the motorhome so that isn’t it either. In reviewing the manual, it says to release the latches BEFORE applying the emergency brake. We have been applying the emergency brake before releasing the latch. Could this have been the issue? We are getting ready to ride back cross country and are trying to troubleshoot what might be going on before we depart next week. Any other things we should check? Thanks for any guidance.

asked by: Robin D

Expert Reply:

It is completely normal for one of the pins on the Roadmaster Nighthawk All Terrain, Non-Binding Tow Bar w/ LED Lights # RM-676 - or any tow bar, really - to be more difficult to remove. The reason is the amount of force on a tow bar, both when pulling your tow vehicle and when braking, is exceptional and is going to cause tension in the components. One of these arms will naturally have a bit more tension than the other, which is why you were running into this issue.

However, I always recommend following the directions of the owner's manual to the letter in order to get the best performance, and it does state to set the brake before removing the base pins so this is what you will want to do.

expert reply by: Kyle S